2018
2018
READING JOHN 2018
SEQUENCE • Importance of the question • Evidence • Ioudaios • Hypotheses • Key texts for analysis • And so… • Prayer
EVIDENCE Mark Matthew Luke John Pharisee 12 29 27 20 Scribe 21 22 14 1 Herodians 2 1 — — Sadduccee 1 7 1 — Elder 7 12 5 1 Priest 2 3 5 1 Highpriest 22 25 15 21 Israelite — — — 1 Ioudaios 7 5 5 71
EVIDENCE Chapter “Hits” 1 1 2 4 3 3 4 3 5 5 6 3 7 6 8 5 9 3 10 4 11 8 12 2 13 1 14-17 — 18 9 19 13 20 1 21 —
IOUDAIOS • The Hebrew tribal name Judah is the basis of the gentilic form in both its Aramaic and Greek forms. • The word “Yehudi”, which is seldom used in the OT, designates members of the tribe of Judah. • In the post-exilic period “Yehudi” designates also the members of the people of Israel without regard to tribal membership and place of residence. • This was also the case in the Greek-speaking Diaspora: Jews identified themselves as Ioudaioi • Other terms such as Israel or Israelite were limited primarily to prayer formulations.
IOUDAIOS • Usage among Jews in Palestine was very different: In the books of the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha originating in Palestine Ioudaios either does not appear at all (Tobit, Sirach, Judith, Psalms of Solomon, 4 Ezra, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, etc.) or it appears occasionally with the more commonly used Israel, limited to specific communication situations. • In rabbinic literature it appears seldom, most often in the rendering of Gentile statements. • Broadly, while Jews refer to themselves as Israelites, Gentiles use the term Jews.
IOUDAIOS • Synoptic use of Ioudaios is remarkably similar to Palestinian Jewish usage, for it does not appear there “as a proper name for the people to whom Jesus comes”. • Instead, the Synoptists differentiate either according to membership in a group or the position of the respective parties (highpirest, scribe, elder, Sadducee, Pharisee) or they speak of Israel when they have in mind the people as a totality. • For the Synoptists, therefore, it is especially significant that their view of the Jewish environment (either from the tradition or from the historical Jesus) is never indicated with Ioudaios.
IOUDAIOS • John consistently abandons the differentiation of Jews into groups and positions and refers to “the Jews” as a homogeneous body of individuals, whose essential characteristic is portrayed in their hostility to Jesus and in their rejection of his mission. • Just as they did with John the Baptist (1:19), they oppose Jesus from the very beginning (2:18) and continually seek his life (5:16, 18; 7:1; cf. v. 19; 8:22–24, 37–59; 10:31–39; 11:45–53; 19:7). • Thus about half of the occurrences of Ioudaios are in descriptions of conflict situations between Jesus and “the Jews” or in similar texts with clear anti-Jewish tendencies (1:19; 2:18, 20; 3:25; 5:10, 16, 18; 6:41, 52; 7:1, 11, 13, 15; 8:22, 48, 52, 57; 9:18, 22; 10:24, 31, 33; 11:8, 54; 13:33; 18:12, 14, 31, 36; 19:7, 31, 38; 20:19).
IOUDAIOS • Neutral use: “the Jews” are not regarded as antagonists, but the crowd of people apart from any appraisal (10:19; 11:19, 31, 33, 36, 45; 12:9, 11; 18:20, 38; 19:12, 14, 20, 21). • “Jews” are mentioned sometimes in contrast to non-Jews (18:33, 35, 39; 19:3, 19, 21) • Sometimes as people whose customs and institutions must be explained (2:6, 13; 3:1; 4:9; 5:1; 6:4; 7:2; 11:55; 19:40, 42). • The basic openness of the term can be seen in the fact that John also knows Ioudaioi who believe in Jesus (8:31; 11:45; 12:11) and that he has the Samaritan woman at the well call Jesus himself a Jew (4:9).
HYPOTHESES • John’s use is not consistent. • Reference to a whole group (nationally, ethnically, religiously): 11:45 or 4:22. • Cf. the appropriation of Israelite figures and Jewish traditions. • Jews are the “villains” of the Gospel: persecution (5:16) misunderstanding (8:22); attempted stoning (8:59); arrest and death (18:12; 19:12); refusal to believe in him (10:31-39).
HYPOTHESES • Raymond Brown • Nothing to do the Jewish people, ethnically or religiously. • E.g. chap. 9: the parents (= Jews) are afraid of the Jews. • The term is used interchangeably with the religious leaders (cf. 18:3 and 18:12; 8:13 and 8:22). • In the Fourth Gospel, “the Jews” fulfil the role taken by the Sanhedrin in the Synoptic gospel. • Hence, the terms often refers to the Jewish authorities. • NET used this option in its translation of Ioudaios.
HYPOTHESES • Robert Kysar • Often refers to the Jewish authorities. • But also to a wider class of opponents. • The ethnic and even religious dimensions are lost in John. • They are “types” of those who reject Jesus as the Messiah. • Literary: they act as a foil to those who do accept Jesus. • Historical: the “synagogue across the road.” • Thus: Jewish opponents at the time of writing are portrayed in the story itself.
HYPOTHESES • Still, the use is inconsistent. • It may reflect a mixed use in traditional material behind the Gospel. • The use may have been both obvious and limited at the time of writing. • It has certainly proved deadly dangerous across the centuries. • Each instance requires an explanatory word to help defuse the potential anti-Semitism.
KEY TEXTS FOR ANALYSIS • John 4: Samaritan Woman • John 5: the Five Witnesses • John 8: Sharp conflict • John 19: appeal for reconciliation.
KEY TEXTS FOR ANALYSIS John 4:7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.) 9 So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you—a Jew– ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) John 4:19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.
KEY TEXTS FOR ANALYSIS • God — John 5:32, 37-38 • John the Baptist — John 5:33-35 • The deeds of Jesus — John 5:36 • Scripture — John 5:39-40 • Moses — John 5:45-47
KEY TEXTS FOR ANALYSIS God John 5:32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true. John 5:37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, 38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. The Baptist John 5:33 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 (I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) 35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time in his light.
KEY TEXTS FOR ANALYSIS Jesus’ deeds John 5:36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds that the Father has assigned me to complete—the deeds I am now doing—testify about me that the Father has sent me. The Scriptures John 5:39 You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, 40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.
KEY TEXTS FOR ANALYSIS Moses John 5:45 “Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what Moses wrote, how will you believe my words?”
KEY TEXTS FOR ANALYSIS • John 7 and 8 belong together • Simple outline: • Context: 7:1-13 (the Feast of Succoth) • Day 1: The source of Jesus’ teaching (7:14-36) • Day 2: The deliverance Jesus offers (7:37-8:59 • We are looking at Day 2, with its own outline.
KEY TEXTS FOR ANALYSIS • Jesus resumes his speech: 7:37-39 • The crowd debates: 7:40-44 • Meanwhile: 7:45-49 • Proof I. Jesus’ testimony is valid: 8:12-19 • Proof II. Jesus resumes his speech: 8:20-24 • Dialogue with the crowd: 8:25-27 • Jesus resumes his speech: 8:28-30 • Dialogue with opponents: 8:31-47 • Final three arguments “I am”: 8:48-58
KEY TEXTS FOR ANALYSIS • Jesus resumes his speech: 7:37-39 John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and 38 let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘ From within him will flow rivers of living water .’” 39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)
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